Remembering Isobel

We've just had New Year on the Western calendar, and now we are looking forward to the crazy riotous celebration of CNY. It's an incredible time - wild, over-the-top, sometimes exhausting fun. One of the first lessons a Westerner needs to learn about CNY is that there is no "right" moment for firecrackers to go off - four o'clock in the morning seems to be a popular time! You just have to relax and enjoy the excitement. It's a time to let go of expectations and embrace the unexpected.

But New Year in any culture is also a time of reflection, and  in our Home there is  much to reflect on. We are full of joy when we think back about Finlay's story  - a  "non-surgical" child, now post-surgical, and enjoying a life with more energy, more strength, and full of hope. And Jonathon: once expected to slowly lose his abilities and finally die - now in foster care, learning new things and enjoying family life.  We love looking around and seeing Annie's smile, enjoying cuddles with Patience, and watching Jesse's growing confidence. 

However, we are a hospice facility, so there will always be faces missing from our little family. Sweet faces like Isobel's - a little girl who inspired us all with her courage and her spunky attitude. Remembering Isobel brings a pang of sadness, but also much thankfulness. Her life was short but she was cherished, and she knew love. It's sad to think that she could have missed out on that. 

Isobel came to us with advanced liver disease. She was frail and yellow, with a hugely distended abdomen. Pain was contorting her features and her personality was masked by her suffering. The little girl behind those sad eyes was unreachable. She was in her own private world and she was afraid to let anyone see inside.

We are so grateful that we had the opportunity to care for Isobel.It was a privilege to see her emerge from her sorrow.  She surprised us with her tenacity and her will to live. This little girl became the princess of the Home. She knew just how to balance cheekiness with cuteness: just cheeky enough to get the laughs, but cute enough not to get in trouble!  She was active and mobile, and loved to show everyone what she could do. Sometimes she would tease the less mobile kids by swiping their toys or pacifiers as she raced past. Sometimes she would tease the grown-ups by touching things she shouldn't! But she always flashed that impish smile which was guaranteed to melt hearts. Isobel was adored, and she knew it -  she knew that she was worthy. Knowing that truth had such an incredible impact on her short life. She came as a hopeless case , but she lived as a true princess!

Our Isobel died in July last year.  She was amazingly active and healthy up to a very short time before her death. She was never alone, and the night she passed away, she was surrounded by love. She was held and sung to, and she left this earth knowing with certainty that she was treasured. Isobel, we miss you still. You brought a splash of drama to our Home which was uniquely yours.

RIP precious girl, til we meet again.

Even though we hope for the miracle of healing for every child, sometimes the miracle of a cherished life is just as precious.